Endless band conveyors



Nov. 26, 1968 P. LocKwooD 3,413,035

ENDLESS BAND CONVEYORS Filed June '7, 1966 llorneyf,

United States Patent O 3,413,035 ENDLESS BAND CONVEYORS Peter Lockwood, Ayclife Industrial Estate, near Darlington, England, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Mining Progress Inc., Highland Mills, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 7, 1966, Ser. No. 555,767 Claims priority, application Great Britain, `luly 22, 1965, 31,162/ 65 4 Claims. (Cl. 299-64) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Endless band conveyor unit usable in mining operations, comprising a substantially longitudinal supporting frame having two substantially longitudinal parallel frame base members carrying the frame and normally in resting contact with the floor, a raised conveyor carried substantially longitudinally by said frame at the frame upper portion remote from the floor and defining with said parallel frame base members and the floor a substantially continuous and unhindered longitudinal corresponding free space, the conveyor having portions forwardly and rearwardly overhanging the frame, and a self-advancing mechanism external to the free space and including said two parallel frame base'members, two substantially longitudinally parallel fioats associated with the frame base members, upright hydraulic jacks associated with the floats, and hydraulic cylinder and piston assemblies secured substantially longitudinally between the frame and floats, the hydraulic jacks being `capable of lifting the frame of the unit from the floor to the top surfaces of the floats, and the hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies being capable of advancing the floats and then advancing the frame along the floats after operation of the hydraulic jacks, the rearwardly overhanging portion having an elevated rear end and the forwardly overhanging portion inclining upwardly from its forward end and the remaining portion of the conveyor above the supporting frame, together with the rearward overhanging portion, extending substantially horizontally to the elevated rear end of the rearwardly overhanging portion and encompassing said free space thereby, whereby to accommodate in an unhindered manner in said free space along substantially the full length of the raised conveyor a main belt conveyor and to permit longitudinal displacement therebetween up to the full operative length of overlap of said raised conveyor and said main belt conveyor, in order to increase the operative range of a mining machine with respect to which the raised raised conveyor is intended to be used in terms of said operative lengths of overlap before interruption of the conveying of mineral extracted by the mining machine to the main belt conveyor must be effected so as to insert additional main belt conveyor sections to continue the mining operation.

This invention relates to endless band conveyors, and is directed to a form of conveyor unit for facilitating the removal of mined material that is discharged to the rear of a mining machine as the machine cuts its Own path into the material lying in advance of it, eg., a heading machine capable of both first removing over the width of the path coal in a seam extending across the lower part of the path, and then removing to the height of the path the overlying rock in the ripping lip left above the void produced by the removal of the coal. Thus, such a heading machine may have a transverse scraper chain conveyor across the bottom of the front part of its frame, and a rearwardly extending scraper chain conveyor, to receive the material from the transverse conveyor, and inclining upwardly to its rear end to bring the material to a height from which it can be discharged on to a main belt conveyor extending along the heading cut by the machine or into mine cars. However, since the machine advances as it cuts its way forward, interruption of operation arises from the need to add further sections periodically to the end of the main belt conveyor, or to the end of the mine car track.

The object of the invention is to provide conveying means for use in association with the mining machine and the main conveyor, for the purpose of enabling mined mineral to be removed with much less interruption of the operation of the machine.

According to the present invention, an endless conveyor unit overhangs both forwardly and rearwardly of a supporting frame provided with self-advancing mechanism, the forward overhanging portion of the conveyor unit inclining upwardly from its forward end, and the remaining portion of the conveyor unit above the frame, together with the rearward overhanging portion, extending substantially horizontally to the elevated rear end of the overhanging portion.

The unit can be positioned at the rear of the mining machine, with its forward overhanging portion below the elevated rear discharge end of the inclined scraper chain Conveyor of the machine, and with its rearward overhanging portion overlying by substantially its whole length the feeding end of the -main belt conveyor or a batch of mine cars. Advancing of the unit, by use of its self-advancing mechanism, as the mining machine advances, provides for continuous delivery of mined material to the mai-n belt conveyor or a batch of mine cars, so long as the rear end of the rearward overhanging portion of the unit remains -above the feed end of the main belt conveyor or one of the batch of mine cars. Only when this relative lengthwise movement between the unit and the main belt conveyor or batch of mine cars has reached its limit need the operation be halted for an extension to be added to the main belt conveyor, or mine car track.

According to a further feature of the invention, the forward overhanging portion of the unit is provided with side rails, parallel to its own inclination, to provide support for the rear end of an inclined conveyor that is connected at its forward end to the rear of the mining machine, so as to move with the machine, to receive the mined material discharged from the scraper chain conveyor of the machine and in effect to constitute a rearward extension of that conveyor. If the forward overhanging portion of the unit is initially positioned by substanti-ally its whole length under the inclined conveyor supported by its rails, the mining machine can advance over a distance totalling the overlaps of the forward and rearward portions of the unit with the inclined belt conveyor and the feed end of the main conveyor, or batch of mine cars before there need be an interruption for the addition of an extension to the main conveyor, or mine car track.

The self advancing mechanism of the unit preferably consists of a float in or on each of two parallel frame base members, with hydraulic jacks to lift the frame of the unit from the floor on to the top surfaces of the floats, and hydraulic cylinder and piston assemblies that serve first to advance the floats and then to advance the frame along the floats when the frame has been lifted by the hydraulic jacks. By independent operation of the two sides of the mechanism, the frame can be steered, as well as advanced. The frame can likewise be retracted by reverse operation of the mechanism. The self-advancing and self-steering mechanism enables the conveyor of the unit to make effective continuous conveying connection between the mining machine and the main belt conveyor or batch of mine cars, regardless of variations 3 of alignment and of changes of gradient in the oor levelf The self-advancing mechanism can be powered by a hydraulic pump that is motor driven in the unit, or hydraulic power may be taken by exible connections from the mining machine to the unit. The intermediate inclined conveyor can be hydraulically driven, either from the unit or from the mining machine.

The invention will now be described in greater detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a diagrammatic side view of a conveyor unit and an associated main belt conveyor and mining machine also showing an additional conveyor intermediate of the mining machine and the conveyor unit; and

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of FIGURE l.

In the drawings an endless conveyor unit 1 is associated with a main conveyor 2 and a mining machine 3, e.g., of the type described in our copending patent application Ser. No. 398,954, now U.S. Patent No. 3,306,663, and provided with the usual transverse scraper chain conveyor 4 and a lengthwise inclined scraper chain conveyor 5 shown to one side of the machine. However, this conveyor 5 could equally well operate along and underneath the centre of the machine.

The conveyor unit 1 is provided with a supporting frame 6 and a scraper chain conveyor 7 overhangs the supporting frame forwardly, indicated generally at 8, and rearwardly indicated generally at 9. The forward overhanging portion 8 of the conveyor unit 1 is supported on a pair of links 10 and inclines upwardly from its forward end 11 to its rear end 12. The remaining portion of the coveyor 7 above the frame 6 together with the rear overhanging portion 9 extend substantially horizontally to the elevated rear end 12 of the rear overhanging portion 9.

The forward overhanging portion 8 is provided with side rails 13 to support the rear end 14 of an additional inclined conveyor 15 pivoted on a pin 16 secured to a bogy 17 running between the rails 13 and pivotally secured to the conveyor 5 at its forward end 18 by means of a universal joint 19 to the rear of the mining machine 3.

The supporting frame 6, normally carried on base members 20, is provided with self-advancing mechanism 21 consisting of two floats 22 on each side of the conveyor. Each oat 22 is guided by depending brackets 23 and is relieved at 24 to enable the conveyor to sit positively on the four float supports 22 when the conveyor is operating on an uneven surface. The floats 22 can each be advanced and retracted by a hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 26, pivoted at 27 and each mounted on a base member and secured to a float 22, skid plates (not shown) extending inwardly and horizontally from each of the base members of length slightly in excess of the working stroke of each piston and cylinder assembly, generally as described in our copending patent application Ser. No. 398,954, now U.S. Patent No. 3,306,663. Hydraulic jacks 28 are provided at the front and `rear ends of each float 22.

In use, the material cut by the mining machine is fed from the transverse scraper chain conveyor 4 on to the lengthwise conveyor 5 which feeds on to the inclined conveyor 15 which in turn feeds on to the forward overhanging portion 8 of the conveyor 1 from where the material is discharged on to the main belt conveyor 2.

The forward overhanging portion 8 is initially positioned with substantially its whole length under the inclined conveyor 15. The rearward overhanging portion is initially positioned such that its whole length substantially overlies the feeding end of the main belt conveyor. As is clear from the drawing, conveyor 1 defines with base members 20 and the dloor a substantially continuous and unhindered longitudinal free space to accommodate in an unhindered manner along substantially the full length of conveyor 1 the main conveyor 2, permitting longitudinal displacement therebetween up to substantially the full operative length of overlap. Thus, as the mining machine 3 cuts away at the material to be mined, it can advance over a distance totalling the overlaps of the forward and rearward portions 8, 9 of the unit with the inclined belt conveyor 15 and the feed end of the main belt conveyor 2, respectively, the bogy 17 running down the rails 13 and the conveyor unit 1 being advanced by the self-advancing mechanism 21 which operates as follows. The hydraulic jacks 28 are normally retracted, clear of the skid plates so that the conveyor unit is supported by the base members 20. To advance the machine the floats 22 are advanced by the piston and cylinder assemblies 26 to bring the jacks 28 below the forward end of each skid plate. The jacks are then operated to lift the conveyor unit from the base members 20 onto the floats 22. The piston and cylinder assemblies 26 are then operated inthe reverse direction to draw the conveyor unit forwards, the skid plates skidding over the jacks 28. The jacks 28 are then retracted so that the machine again rests on base members 20. This procedure may be repeated any number of times until the conveyor unit has advanced the required distance.

Retraction of the conveyor unit can be effected by reversal of the above procedure. By operating only a single float 22 or both oats to different extents the machine can also be steered.

Thus, with the overlap-ping of the conveyors or conveyors and batch of mine cars the mining machine may advance a distance much further than has previously been possible before the need by an interruption in operation for the addition of an extension to the main belt conveyor, or mine car track.

What I claim is:

1. Endless band conveyor unit comprising a substantially longitudinal supporting frame having two substantially longitudinally parallel frame base members carrying the frame and normally in resting contact with the floor, a raised conveyor carried substantially longitudinally by said rframe at the upper portion of said frame remote from the oor |and defining with said parallel frame base members and the floor a substantially continuous and unhindered longitudinal free space, said raised conveyor having portions forwardly and rearwardly overhanging the supporting frame, and a selfadvancing mechanism external to said free space and including said two parallel frame base members, two substantially longitudinally parallel oats Iassociated with the frame base members, upright hydraulic jacks associated with the oats, and hydraulic cylinder and piston assemblies secured substantially longitudinally bet-Ween the lframe and floats, said hydraulic jacks being capable of lifting the frame of the unit from the oor on to the top surfaces of t-he oats, and said hydraulic piston and and cylinder assemblies being capable of advancing the floats and then advancing the frame along the oats after operation of the hydraulic jacks, the rearwardly overhanging portion having an elevated rear end and the forwardly overhanging portion inclining upwardly from its forward end and the remaining portion of the raised conveyor above the supporting frame, together with the rearward overhanging portion, extending substantially horizontally to the elevated rear end of the rearwardly overhanging portion and encompassing said free space thereby, whereby to accommodate a main belt conveyor in an unhindered manner in said free space along substantially the full length of the raised conveyor and to permit longitudinal displacement therebetween up to the full operative length of overlap of said raised conveyor and said main belt conveyor.

2. Endless band conveyor unit according to claim 1 in association with a mining machine having a transverse scraper chain conveyor operatively coupled with l overhanging portion of said raised conveyor, and in association with a main belt conveyor situated at said free space and operatively coupled With the rearward overhangng portion of said raised conveyor.

3. Endless band conveyor unit according to claim 1 wherein side rails are provided on the forward overhanging portion of the unit, said unit being in association with an inclined feed conveyor having its rear end supported on said side rails, and a mining machine connected to the iront end of said inclined conveyor.

4. Endless band conveyor unit according to claim 3 in association with a main belt conveyor operatively located at said free space and adjacent the rearward overhanging portion of said raised conveyor, said mining machine having a transverse scraper chain conveyor operatively associated with the end of said inclined conveyor remote from said forward overhanging portion of the raised conveyor.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,278,055 9/1918 Stuart 198--92 1,932,897 10/1933 Jaggard 1-98-92 X 2,800,970 7/1957 Barrett 299-31 X 3,107,776 10/ 1963 Long 198-92 X 3,169,796 2/ 1965 Long et al. 299--56 X FOREIGN PATENTS 997,519 7/ 1965 Great Britain.

15 ERINEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner. 

